Atherosclerosis is characterized by one or more intravascular lesions formed in part of plaque including blood-borne substances such as fat, cholesterol, and calcium. An intravascular lesion such as an arterial lesion can form on a wall of an arterial lumen and build out across the lumen to an opposite wall thereof. A last point of patency often occurs at a boundary between the arterial lesion and the opposite wall of the arterial lumen.
Surgical procedures for atherosclerosis such as balloon angioplasty can be used to restore patency and blood flow lost to the one or more intravascular lesions. Because early balloons could cause wall trauma by non-uniformly unfolding during inflation, changes have been made to balloon catheters to control balloon inflation and the forces imparted thereby. However, such changes are often not isolated to the balloons of such balloon catheters. Other balloon-catheter components and the performance thereof can be affected as well. Accordingly, there is a need to control balloon inflation and the forces imparted thereby while maintaining integrity in other balloon-catheter components. Provided herein in some embodiments are systems and methods that address the foregoing.